MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

9/13 Cubs Inbox

Got a question for the Cubs Inbox? Send it to CubsInbox@gmail.com, and please include your full name and hometown.

Q: The 2012 season isn’t over with but I’d like to think next year will be better. My question is what do you think the 2013 Opening Day lineup will look like? — Ty S., West Des Moines, IA

A: Here’s an early guess:

RF David DeJesus

2B Darwin Barney

1B Anthony Rizzo

LF Alfonso Soriano

SS Starlin Castro

After that, I don’t know. These final weeks are huge for players like Welington Castillo, Steve Clevenger, Brett Jackson, Josh Vitters and Luis Valbuena.

Q: It’s time to start purchasing jerseys for the future. Before I buy a Josh Vitters or Brett Jackson uniform, what are the chances they change their numbers? — Clay B., Paris, IL

A: Clubhouse manager Tom Hellmann asks the young players each spring what number they’d like if they make it to the big leagues, and since Vitters and Jackson were given single digits, not No. 88 or No. 75, I’d guess they’ll stick with Nos. 5 and 7, respectively. That said, you never know what will happen if the Cubs sign a veteran, and he has always worn No. 5.

Q: Against the Reds on Aug. 9, Steve Clevenger was ejected during an at-bat and replaced with Welington Castillo. Castillo struck out, which was charged to Clevenger. To whom would a walk, hit, put out or other play be charged? — Marvin W., Bellingham, WA

A: If Castillo had walked or gotten a hit or grounded out, he would’ve been credited. According to Rule 10.17 (b): When the batter leaves the game with two strikes against him, and the substitute batter completes a strikeout, charge the strikeout and the time at-bat to the first batter. If the substitute batter completes the turn at-bat in any other manner, including a base on balls, score the action as having been that of the substitute batter.

Q: Would you know the dates for next year’s Cubs Convention? — Ben

A: Jan. 18-20, 2013.

Q: What is the all-time (not single-season) record of error-less games played by an infielder? — Ethan J., Chicago

Q: How do you feel about Adam Greenberg trying to make a comeback? Is there any chance now that the Cubs are out of the playoffs they will give Adam a chance? — Yoel G., Hollywood, FL

A: For Greenberg to play for a Major League team, it would mean someone would have to be taken off the 40-man roster. I was there when Greenberg was hit, and certainly hoped he would have another at-bat. Right now, it feels like a publicity stunt.

Q: I know the new management wants to build the club from within and help improve the club by improving the Minor League system but do you think they could at least bring in a couple free agent pitchers to help some of the young guys develop? I don’t know how beneficial it is for players like Brooks Raley and Chris Rusin to be lit up by Major League lineups when they are clearly not ready. — Joe S., Lansing, MI

A: I wish pitchers like Rusin and Raley and Jeff Samardzija and Travis Wood had someone like Ryan Dempster or Paul Maholm around to help them deal with the ups and downs in the big leagues. The front office will likely look at adding more experience for the rotation next season, either through free agency or a trade. What you hope is that Raley and Rusin learn from this experience, learn what they need to do, and become better for it.

Keep the faith, you never know when the Cubs will bring up somebody “too soon” and they take hold of a major league job…like Castro. Then of course you Vitters… Soler already seems to be ahead of Vitters so there may be a chance we see an all new, younger, better outfiled next season.

Well for one Castro wasn’t called up by this FO so who knows what they would have done with him. I could see Soler moving fast but I don’t see him getting a shot in Spring training next year. I would say best case scenario is we see him in September next year. He just needs as many ABs as possible since he was out of baseball for a bit. His ceiling is super high though

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